Charles kingston welch



1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES KINGSTON WELOH, or covENTRY,-ENeLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE PNEUMATIC TYRE COMPANY, LIMITED, or DUBLIN, IRELAND.

ELASTIC TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,797, dated January 26, 18975 Application filed October 8, 1895. Serial No. 564 978. (No model.) Patented in England June 2, 1894,110. 10,719; in France September 2, 1895, No. 250,021; in Belgium $eptember 9, 1895, No. 117,346; in Italy 8eptember 12, 1895, XXX, 39,757, and in Denmark September 8,1896,No.7 3 2.

To ail whom it may concern: to the rim by endless wires or other suitable Be it known that '1, CHARLES KINGSTON cores contained in its sides or edges. In lieu VVELOH, engineer, a subject of the Queen of of such cores I may employ various other Great Britain, residing at Coventry, England, methods of securing the coverfor example,

5 have invented certain new and useful Imthose methods wherein the edges of the cover provements in Elastic Tires, of which the folare received in recesses formed by the turned- 5 5 lowing is a specification, reference being had in edges of the rim. It is obvious in this into the accompanying drawings. stance that the jelly, being under pressure,

I have obtained patents for the improveassists in holding the tire to the rim. In

IO ment herein described in the following counother cases the jelly under pressure performs tries: Great Britain, No. 10,719, dated June the same functions as the air under pressure 2, 1894:; France, No. 250,021, dated Septemin pneumatic tubes. ber 2, 1895; Belgium, No. 117,345, dated Sep- 0 is an inner tube for inclosing the jelly or tember 9, 1895; Denmark, No. 732, dated Seplike substance D.

15 tember 8, 1896, and Italy, Vol. XXX, No. In Fig. 1 there are shown a number of 39,7 57, dated September 12, 1895. small elastic air balls or chambers E within My invention relates to elastic tires, and the tube 0 and inclosed by the jellyD. The comprises the improvements hereinafter dc said balls are introduced into the tube 0 bescribed. fore the ends of the said tube are united.

20 The Object of my said invention is to pro- The balls may be temporarily fastened in po- Vide elastic tires which shall be more resilsition to insure that they shall retain their ient than solid india-rubber tires without proper relative positions while the jelly is having the disadvantage which pneumatic being introduced and before the latter sets. tires have in general of being liable to col- The jelly is introduced through a valve or 2 5 lapse when punctured. cock, as above described. The balls or cham- According to my invention I construct tires bers are employed for the purpose of increasof jelly or the like substance, inclosed in ing the elasticity of the tire, and also so as to a suitable jacket or coverhaving cores or infill up any spaces that might otherwise be extensible edges or their equivalents for reformed by the contraction of the jelly on 0 taining the cover on the rim. I inclose in cooling.

the jelly one or more air-tubes or a series of In Fig. 2 a small continuous or endless air other suitable chambers, spherical or othertube or chamber F is shown inclosed by the wise, filled with air for increasing the elasjelly which is on the outside of the said small ticity of the tire. I prefer to inflate and so tube between the latter and the fabric cover.

3 5 put the jelly under pressure, and when I' use This air-tube is provided with a valve and is balls or other chambers I prefer to put the inflated in the usual manner. With this jelly under pressure, and so compress the air construction of tire I may introduce or apply in the balls or chambers. the jelly to the inner side of the cover next In the accompanying drawings, Ihave illusthe fabric before the cover is applied to the 0 trated by way of example several forms of rim. For example, I may make a ring of my invention. jelly of crescent section, as shown in Fig. 2,

Figure l is a part transverse section and and place or fix the said ring inside the cover,

part circumferentialsection of a tire having thus forming a thick arched cover, which is air balls or chambers embedded in the jelly. then applied to the rim around the small air- 5 Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a similar tube in the well-known manner. When the tire having an air-tube inclosed within the air-tube is infiated,it communicates its pres- 5 jelly. sure to the jelly and fills out the cover, thus A is the rim. rendering the tire firm, but very elastic. 11; B is the inextensible cover,which is secured will be seen that the air-tube of such a tire is not readily accessible to puncture in ordinary use. In some cases I employ two or more air-tubes, and also in some cases I use tubes which are not endless, but are butt ended.

It is obvious that with this construction of tire when the air-tube is deflated and the filling-strips G in the grooves in the rim are removed the cover and jelly can be removed together from the rim in the manner now well known.

In some instances I use a dividing-strip, of fabric, rubber, or other material H, between the air-tube and the jelly. This strip is so arranged that it does not prevent the expansion of the air-tube when the latter is inflated to put the tire under pressure. For example, the fabric may be attached at one side to the outer cover and be loose orunattached at the other side.

I sometimes provide for allowing the air in the tube to escape through a suitable valve while the jelly is being pumped or otherwise injected into the tube, and at times I expel as much of the air as possible from the tube by flattening or rolling the tube before i11- jecting the jelly, or I may otherwise exhaust the air from the tube. The slight amount of air then left in the tube will not interfere with the introduction of the jelly. If it is desired to inject more jelly after the first portion is set. I may heat the valve to assist the operation. Isometimesintroduceeitherwith the jellyin filling or afterward such quantity of air or gas as may be found desirable for the purpose of maintaining the pressure.

The restraining envelop or inextensible cover may be made of inextensible fabric, woven or otherwise constructed after any of the methods now known and either with or without an interior lining of india-rubber. The cover may be impregnated with rubber.

The jelly which I use is made of gelatin, glue, or other suitable gelatinous substance mixed with a suitable quantity of Water, treacle, or other solvent. Other substances may be mixed with the jelly, but must not be of such a nature as to destroy its resiliency. I may secure the tire to the rim in various ways, for example, by endless wire cores, as shown in the drawings, or by other well-known methods of securing pneumatic tires to the rims of wheels.

By the term air in the above specification I desire to include gas. When I desire to remove the jelly from the interior of the tire, I warm the same, so as to liquefy it, and then extract it through any suitable orifice, such as the valve-orifice. I

My improved tire is more especially suited for the wheels of vehicles which carry heavy loads.

What I claim is 1. In an elastic tire, the combination with an outer cover, of an inner tube containing jelly or the like gelatinous substance, and an elastic chamber or chambers containing air under pressure and operative to put the jelly under compression, substantially as described.

2. In an elastic tire, the combination with an outer cover of a chamber or chambers containing air under pressure, jelly or like gelatinous substance between the said chamber or chambers and the said cover, and a dividingstrip between the jelly and the said tube or tubes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of September, 1895.

CHARLES KINGSTON \VELCH.

\Vitnesscs:

FRED SHARPE, V. W. ROBINSON. 

